Nearly half--47%--of New York City residents believe same-sex marriage should be illegal, while 40% believe it should be legal, according to a Daily News poll released on Monday. The survey found that about 14% of those polled had no response when asked about the issue. There was wide variance among ethnic groups, with whites the most supportive of legalized gay marriage (50% said it should be legal) and blacks the least (63% said it should be banned). Among Latinos, 41% said it should be legal, and 41% said it should be banned.

Last month the mayor of New Paltz, N.Y., stirred controversy when he began conducting same-sex marriages. He faces 19 misdemeanors and possible jail time for officiating at the marriages. In nationwide polls, a majority of Americans, sometimes by as much as a 2-1 margin, say they oppose legalizing gay marriage. The Daily News poll of 507 adults was conducted last Wednesday and Thursday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.